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I doubt Obama can make that call. The multi-layered structure that makes up the military industrial complex decides when it ends wars, and that only comes after victory (impossible here), loud public outcry and repeated demonstrations turns it unpopular, or dissension within its own ranks. Afghanistan is far enough away to hide the appalling cost in both lives and dollars
I don't think the Afghanistan mission is ever going to be "complete." Unless we can find some nation willing to take over for us there--kind of like we did for the French in Vietnam. (You have to admit, the French got lucky in that department!)
Osama is dead. Why are we still there? What reason do we have to stay? Will Obama finally withdraw our troops like he said he would in his campaign?
For a perspective on the subject, here is an excerpt from one of the Presidential debates (Link):
Quote:
"If another attack on our homeland comes, it will likely come from the same region where 9/11 was planned," he said in a speech in Washington. "And yet today, we have five times more troops in Iraq than Afghanistan."
"It is unacceptable that almost seven years after nearly 3,000 Americans were killed on our soil, the terrorists who attacked us on 9/11 are still at large," he said. "Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahari are recording messages to their followers and plotting more terror. The Taliban controls parts of Afghanistan. Al Qaeda has an expanding base in Pakistan that is probably no farther from their old Afghan sanctuary than a train ride from Washington to Philadelphia."
"What’s missing in our debate about Iraq -- what has been missing since before the war began – is a discussion of the strategic consequences of Iraq and its dominance of our foreign policy," Obama said. "This war distracts us from every threat that we face and so many opportunities we could seize. This war diminishes our security, our standing in the world, our military, our economy, and the resources that we need to confront the challenges of the 21st century. By any measure, our single-minded and open-ended focus on Iraq is not a sound strategy for keeping America safe."
Candidate Obama couldn't have been more clear about his position on the two wars, and the direction he wanted: an exit strategy from Iraq and re-focusing on Afghanistan and exploring Pakistan as a haven for the elements. Where I might have a problem is the vagueness of goals in Afghanistan but he had the right idea in my opinion. One of the specified goals has just been met. What remains is a plan to reduce and consequently eliminate US military presence. And while many of us would be eager to see that happen quickly, such decisions aren't without risks and could take several months. Where I see a major problem is the current government in Afghanistan. That is something I'm curious about.
Remember, candidate Obama was bashed by the right wingers for even mentioning Pakistan, and guess what, he had a point. Not that it required a genius to recognize that Pakistan had the potential to be a haven.
Our Mission in Afghanistan will not be complete until there is a central government that can prevent any and all attacks on the Trans Afghan Pipeline. That has not happened. Hunting bin Laden and suppressing Opium production are incidental to the primary mission of protecting international petroleum’s connection between the Central Asian oil reserves and the world ocean. The complete failure of our Afghani war would be China building overland pipelines and having the oil delivered directly to them bypassing the international petroleum cartel. That would be a complete failure of our Afghan policy.
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